Blanco Performing Arts celebrated their 10th anniversary with style and elegance in the form of Julia Pautz and Tina Chong. Blanco was indeed fortunate to have received a concert from musicians of their renown and ability.

Julia Pautz, violinist, is a native of Blanco who earned a Master of Music degree with honors from the University of Southern California as well as many other accreditations. Pautz has been a member of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra since 2010 and was recently hailed as “a genuine virtuoso” by the Dallas Morning News. She is also the artistic and technical advisor for Blanco Performing Arts and is responsible for the Blanco Performing Arts website.

Tina Chong, pianist, is a graduate of both the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Chong is a prizewinner of multiple major international competitions. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Calgary Philharmonic, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, as well as many others. The New Brunswick Beacon heralded her as “a deity of elegance.” A native of Banff, Canada, Chong currently plays with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and serves as faculty at the San Diego State University.

Eager music aficionados filled the Blanco Uptown Ballroom creating the feeling of an elegant chamber music recital of the past. The musical selections provided something for all different tastes.

The afternoon began with an amusing story about George Philipp Telemann followed by his Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Basso continuo. Immediately, the skill of both musicians was evident as well as the fact that they fit together like a hand in glove.

Adagio in E Major k.261 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a great piece to display virtuosity, and this rendition was no exception. The performers were sharing a beautiful secret with the audience, and the audience understood it.

Beethoven’s Sonata in G Major Opus 30 No. 3 for Piano and Violin was a dazzling display of physicality and emotion. Pautz and her violin acted as one voice. Sometimes delicate and whispering, sometimes crying loudly, but always in control of the emotions that the audience experienced.

A brief intermission gave everyone the time to catch their breath before the ladies were taking their willing followers on another musical journey with Romanian Folk Dances by Bela Bartok. Perhaps the greatest compliment for the music was the spontaneous shout, “That sounded good!” uttered by Pautz’s toddler, Jackson. Jackson has a future as a music reviewer.

The only way to follow that was with Romance Opus 11 by Antonin Dvorak. The manner in which the violin and piano wove the composition was mesmerizing. Chong may be from Canada, but she plays with a heart as big as Texas. This is Texas – there is no greater compliment.

Astor Piazzola’s Bordello 1900 from Histoire du Tango and Le Grand Tango arranged by Sofia Gubaidulina were the finale works scheduled for the afternoon. As you may have guessed from the title, this was a little flirty, a little saucy, and full of passion.

The audience was not about to let these musicians off without an encore. The duet was persuaded to perform Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise to the delight of all present.

Afterwards, while cake and champagne were being served, there was time for a few questions:

Blanco County News: Do you have any recommendations for children interested in music?

Tina Chong: Go to as many concerts as you can to assimilate what you learn in lessons and classes and get a sense of what the whole is. You know, we often lose sight of that as a beginner. It is really important to go hear live music, to feel the electricity in the room, and to listen to every turn of music phrase.

BCN: What inspired you to take up music?

Chong: I was 3, and I don’t really remember, but my mother tells me that I was always drawn to the piano. I would do and try to play the songs my grandfather would sing. And my mother, she sang. She wasn’t a professional musician, but she would just sing all the time. Music was a part of my life from when I was very young. I don’t know. I was drawn to it, and I loved it. I didn’t ever think that I would be a musician professionally, but I couldn’t leave it alone.

BCN: As a musician, what composers do you enjoy playing?

Chong: There a so many. I am lucky as a pianist, there is so much amazing repertoire. But right now, I am enjoying Robert Schumann and Bach. I didn’t have an appreciation for him until quite recently.

BCN: When you are just relaxing, what do you listen to?

Chong: These days, because I’m with my kids most of the time, its Disney songs, but if I was alone probably I’d be listening to vocal art songs like Brahms’ songs or Schumann’s songs. I wish I was a singer.

Julia Pautz: BPA (Blanco Performing Arts) would not happen without the incredible support of our board, and our volunteers, and my mother who is, of course, the main volunteer.

BCN: How did you two meet?

Julia Pautz: Her husband is a contracted trombonist with the San Diego Symphony, and I am a corporate. So I knew him, and then I met her, and we have children that are the same age. And then I found out that she is just a spectacular pianist.

BCN: The people out here appreciate Blanco Performing Arts.

Pautz: Thank you so much. I think that we are unique in the Hill Country. There are some other performing arts that happen on a larger scale. This is the only place where you can come and hear great music up close and also get to know other community members. We are kind of like a speak easy, you have to know about us, but once you know it’s the best place you’ve ever been.

BCN: How did you choose the music for today?

Pautz: I went on a play date with Tina. We brought our children to a playground, and we thought about things that we knew or we wanted to play.

BCN: As a musician, what kind of music do you enjoy playing?

Pautz: I love playing music for people that enjoy hearing it. So, whatever you like to hear, it makes me happy to play it.

BCN: When you are relaxing, what do you like to listen to:

Pautz: Motown. I’m serious. When I listen to classical, that other part of my brain just is in a hyper mode, and there is no relaxing.

BCN: What inspired you to choose violin?

Pautz: When I was three, my mom took me to a San Antonio Symphony concert, and they had some young violinists playing as a group with them, and I told her, “I’m going to do that when I grow up”. And then I did.

BCN: Do you have any words of encouragement for people who are starting to learn music;

Pautz: You only need to practice on the days that you eat.

Overall, the performance was a delight to behold. This duet goes beyond talent. There is a playfulness expressed that makes the audience feel connected to them. They made this not an exercise in skilled musicianship; they made it fun and relatable to everyone. Hopefully, Pautz and Chong will perform together in the future, so that others may share what the Blanco audience was fortunate enough to experience.